What is Jim Davidson's Net Worth?
Jim Davidson is an English comedian, actor, singer, and television host who has a net worth of $10 million. On television, he hosted the game shows "Big Break" and "The Generation Game" and starred on the sitcoms "Up the Elephant and Round the Castle" and "Home James!" Elsewhere, Davidson produced and starred in a series of adult pantomime stage shows, including "Sinderella" and "Boobs in the Wood."
Early Life and Education
Jim Davidson was born on December 13, 1953 in London, England to an Irish mother and a Scottish father. He was educated at Kidbrooke Park Primary School and St. Austin's School. Davidson later briefly attended theater school in Woolwich. He held an array of odd jobs after leaving school, including a supermarket shelf stacker, air ticket clerk, and window cleaner.
Career Beginnings in Comedy
Davidson got his start in comedy at a pub in Woolwich, when he stepped in for the pub's absent, regular stand-up comedian one night. He went on to become a staple on the London comedy circuit, and in the 1970s he came in second place on the television talent show "New Faces."
Television Career
In 1979, Davidson landed his own television program, "The Jim Davidson Show." The show ran for five seasons through 1982. After that, from 1983 to 1985, Davidson starred on the ITV sitcom "Up the Elephant and Round the Castle," playing lovable rogue Jim London. He reprised his role on the sequel sitcom "Home James!," which ran from 1987 to 1990. Davidson began his longest-running television gig in 1991, when he became the host of the BBC1 snooker game show "Big Break." He was joined by John Virgo, who served as the referee. The show ran through 2002. Meanwhile, in 1995, Davidson took over from Bruce Forsyth as the new host of the game show "The Generation Game." He continued hosting the show until 2002.
In 2007, Davidson appeared on the third season of the ITV cooking reality series "Hell's Kitchen." However, he was asked to leave after making homophobic comments toward gay contestant Brian Dowling. The next year, Davidson was featured on the BBC Two documentary series "Comedy Map of Britain." Later, in 2013, he was supposed to be a housemate on the 11th season of the reality game show "Celebrity Big Brother," but was unable to compete due to his arrest in connection to Operation Yewtree. Davidson ended up competing on the 13th season of "Celebrity Big Brother" instead, in 2014, and won the show.
Theater Career
On stage, Davidson produced and starred in a series of adult pantomime shows, including "Sinderella" (1995) and "Boobs in the Wood" (1999). He also toured with the play "Stand Up…And Be Counted," a play about a racist comedian featuring many parallels with his own career.
Film Career
Although primarily known for his work on television, Davidson appeared in Peter Greenaway's 1985 film "A Zed & Two Noughts." Two decades later, he was in the film "Colour Me Kubrick: A True…ish Story."
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Other Activities
Among his other work, Davidson has been an entertainer for the British Armed Forces, and serves as the chairman of the British Forces Foundation. A Freemason, Davidson is also a member of the Westminster City Council Lodge No. 2882.
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Davidson started his own YouTube channel, on which he posted short videos about current events. He went on to launch the website Jim Davidson TV, which was soon replaced by his business venture Ustreme.
Controversies
Notorious for his provocative stand-up routines about women and various minority groups, Davidson has generated major controversy during his career. He has been described as racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, reactionary, and overall bigoted due to his "jokes" about ethnic minorities, LGBTQ people, people with diseases, and people with disabilities. In 2007, he was denounced and eventually removed for his homophobic bullying of openly gay contestant Brian Dowling on the reality television show "Hell's Kitchen."
Davidson has also had several run-ins with the law. In 1987, he was convicted of driving under the influence and was banned from driving for three years. Later, in 2002, Davidson was escorted from a hotel in Bristol after he allegedly became abusive toward the staff. A little over a decade later, in early 2013, he was arrested at Heathrow Airport in connection to Operation Yewtree, a police investigation into sexual abuse allegations. Davidson was arrested again two months later over new sexual abuse allegations, although they were eventually dismissed.
Personal Life
Davidson has been married and divorced five times. He was married to his first wife, Sue Walpole, from 1971 to 1972; they had a child together. Davidson had his second child with Julie Gullick, to whom he was married from 1981 to 1986. He was next wed to Alison Holloway from 1987 to 1988. Davidson's fourth wife was Tracy Hilton; they were married from 1990 to 2000 and had three children. His fifth wife was Michelle Cotton, to whom he was wed from 2009 to 2023.
